The Sustainable Buildings Research Centre (SBRC) is a not only an environmentally friendly building, it is a living laboratory where scientists will be able to test and develop their own sustainability projects.

"It has a 160 KW photo voltaic panel on the roof, as well as lots of sustainability features we're proud of - it's not just a building, it's a world class building."

As well as the giant solar panels, the building has rainwater harvesting to ensure the building is also net zero-water, a sophisticated natural ventilation system, and elaborate monitoring throughout to ensure everything is running as efficiently as possible.

Even the lighting on the desks is only as bright as it needs to be, and is trained only on the area of the desk it's required.

On top of that, the open plan workplace receives plenty of natural light through the glass windows that can all open.

Senator Eric Abetz was on hand today to officially open the building, and paid tribute to the university's reputation as a leader in sustainable building research.

"Today the University of Wollongong has yet again shown itself to be an innovative university at the forefront.

"It's shown itself to be a world leader and this centre will deliver new industries and jobs in a situation where today the unemployment rate has hit 6.4%."

The SBRC was partly funded by a federal government grant of $25.1m, and Senator Abetz also paid tribute to the former Labor government for its support of the project.

The university's vice chancellor Paul Wellings says the community will be able to come to one of the centre's open days to see how the research can be applied in the home.

"For people interested in solar, new lighting and environmental properties of houses, there's a whole range of things going on here that are really exciting," he says.